Filtration apparatus



3mm RC'HMP T., R. CAM P FILTRATION APPARATUS Original Filed June 24f 1940 June 29, 1948.

THUMHS.

2,043,734, granted June 9, 1936,

Reissuea June 29, 1948 FILTRATION APPARATUS Thomas R. Camp, Newton, Mass.

Original No. 2,263,964, dated November 25, 1941, Serial No. 342,103, June 24, 1940. Application for reissue September 17, 1947, Serial No.

Claims.

The invention relates to filtration apparatus, and with regard to its specific features to the supports for a false bottom therefor.

One object of the invention is to provide a false bottom construction permitting porous plates to be clamped in place without danger of breakage despite irregularities of alignment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a false bottom which can be rapidly constructed.

Another object of the invention is to permit the porous plates to be very securely fastened in position.

Another object of the invention is to improve the apparatus described in m prior patent, No.

and arrangements of parts, as will be exemplified" in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing in which is shown one of various possible embodiments of the mechanical features of this invention,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a filtration apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale,

1 taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the invention may be applied to the type of filtration apparatus illustrated and described in my prior patent, No. 2,043,734. As therein described, I provide a suitable tank In which will usually be a hollow rectangular parallelepiped of concrete with no top, but, which may be an enclosed tank of steel or other suitable material as in pressure filters. Supported part way up in the tank [ll is a false bottom l2 made of porous plates l3 which supports the filtering medium of loose granular material. supporting the plates [3 is more particularly the subject of the present invention.

The apparatus is equipped with suitable inlets for the unfiltered water above the filtering medium and" the false bottom l2, with suitable.

Other objects The manner and means foroutlets for filtered water below the false bottom l2, and with means for backwashing the filtering medium by reversal of the direction of flow of the filtered water, These may be of any preferred construction and since such are fully illustrated and described in my aforesaid patent, they will not further be described herein.

The porous plates 13 may be made of any suitable material. In the preferred form Alundum plates one foot square and one and one-quarter inches thick are utilized, as these are readily available on the market and are well adapted for use in this apparatus. Such plates may be made by mixing granular crystalline alumina with ceramic bond, viz. suitable clays such as ball clay, slip clay and feldspar, shaping and then firing in a ceramic kiln. But other granular material may be used, for example silicon carbide, quartz, or emery, and the bonding material may be varied, for example glass frits may be employed in whole or in part. Various cements might be employed and other bonds, provided the plates are porous and provided the bonds are water, acid and alkali resistant. Since it is necessary to clean the plates at intervals, it is important that they be resistant to acid and alkali cleaning solutions as well as to water. A uniform permeability is much preferred and the Alundum plates have this characteristic.

Considering now the supporting structure for the plates [3, I provide a number of bolts 14, metal washers l5 and I6, rubber washers ll, nuts I8 and I9, and knurled bushings 20. I locate the bushings 20 in the bottom of the tank ID in any suitable manner, for example as disclosed in my prior patent. The bottom of the invention may be installed in pre-existing filtration tanks and in many cases it is convenient merely to drill holes in the concrete bottom of the tank, locate the bushings therein and cement them in place with a cold settingcement 2|, but in constructing a new tank it will in many cases be found more convenient to place the bushings in the desired positions with regard to spacing, then to pour the concrete bottom around the bushings.

Each plate I3 is supported by three bolts l4 being held in place by the rubber washers ll which are clamped together by the nuts l8 and the interposed metal washers l5 and I6. As bettershown in Fig. 1, those plates which are not tank is and the-margi-nal -plates.

adjacent the walls of the tank are supported at two corners and at the side opposite the side connecting said corners. Some of each plate is cut away at each of these corners and a recess is made at each of these sides. In that manner the plates l3 are placed in actual abutting contact with each other notwithstanding the fact that the threaded parts of the bolts l4 extend between them, as shown.

In the cases of the plates 1'3 which abut the end walls of the tank Ill, holes 2'2 may be drilled in the plates, asshown in Fig.6, in order to allow room-forthe bolts at the ends of the tank; In the cases of certain side rows of plates, one bolt may be slightly spaced from the exact corner,- as shown.

While, of course, when new tanksare constructed, they may have inside dimensions in evenfeet, or exactly divisible by the dimensions of the sides of the plates,;.in the caserof-old tanks this may not always; be the: oase. =Fig;-=l shows fragments of plates-at two opposite ends of the tank and these have holes 22 therein for receiving the bolts Id.

The plates can readily be laid starting irom one corner of the tank using-aspirit-level: to-set them all in horizontal; position. -=The; nuts= l 8 pro vide a ready Vernier adjustment whereby to'level each plateexactly. Owingto thethree pointsupport of each plate there is -no possible danger of This permits the r-lu ts l 3 to 'be tightenedwithout danger-of crushing "the plates. USing the three point 7 support; the J plates can 1 be laid very fast, whereas-use of a four; point support systernasshown in-m fl rionpatentsnecessitates a tedious sequenceptreadiustments to bring- .5.11 40 -theplates to a level. Y

Alter the plateshaye' been leveled and-firmly clamped in position, aplastic eornposition z5 1s poured hot intoall-;of-:the-joints,-thus effectively sealing the-joints. "This plastic -eomposition fi islaid in the joints- 'betweenthe wallsof the A preferre'd method of sealing-the=joi-nts may'be to butter the edges ofthe plates with aplastic compound when they are laidgthis-to be followedby-pouringafter t;heplates are levcle'd as described above.

"It will thus be seen-that therehas been provided by this invention an apparatus in wh-ich-the various objects-hereinaloove-set forth',together with many thoroughly practical advantages; are successfully achieved. ,As manypos'sible-embodimerits: may be made of the -above invention and as many changes might be mad'e in theI-embodi- -ment above set--forth,--it is to be'understood-that all matter hereinbeforeset-forth, or--shown in the accompanying drawing, isto -be-intelpreted as illustrative and not ina limiting sense.

-I claim:

1, In apparatus of the class described-a porous plate of granular refractory unaterial bonded with a bond resistant to" water, acid-and alkali, into a strong but porous plate -whichissubstan- Y tially rectangular in shape, exactly threeand no more bolts perpendicular tothe plate, nuts on 7 the upper end of -the bolts, resilient-washers on eachside of the plate oneaehbolt, the-nuts being outside of =thewashers and forcing'them into engagement with thep1ate, -:two bolts -bei-ng locatedat corners of the plate and thethird bolt 7 being located at the side opposite the side connecting said corners, the plate being cut away at said corners and said side opposite said corners whereby the bolts are partially within the 5 area of the plate.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a porous plate of granular refractory material bonded with a bond resistant to water, acid and alkali, into a strong but porous plate which is substan- 10 tially rectangular in shape, exactly three and. no more bolts perpendicular to the plate, nuts on the upper-end .of the bolts,resilient annular sub-- stantially water-impervious sealing :means on. each side of the plate on each bolt, the nuts be- 51 ;;ing outside of the annular means and forcing -tllem into engagement with the plate, two bolts. 'being-located at corners of the plate and the: third. bolt being located at the side opposite the: side connecting said corners, the plate being cut aoawaysat said. corners and said side opposite said.

' 35 third bolt beinglocated at the side opposite the.

side connecting said I COIHGI'S; the plate being-but.

away at said corners and said side opposite isaidcorners "whereby a the bolts. are partially :within. the area oi the plate.

'4. apparatus 'of K the class described, a por-- ous plate of granular-refractorymaterialbonded; with a bond resistant to water, acid and-alkali, into astrong but porous platewhich' is I substan-- tially' rectangularin-shape, exactly-three and no more" bolts perpendicular to. the platepnuts 'On" the upper .end of the bolts,- yieldable --annular-=substantially water-impervious sealing means'on: ,each side of, the plate-on-aeach boltgthe nuts 'sbering outside of the annular ymeans and forcing; them into engagement with the plate, two bolts; being located, at learners "of the plate "and the; third. bolt: being located at the side opposite the side connecting said corners, the 'plat-e-beingcut. .aWay atsaid corners and saidside opposite-saidv corners whereby the'bolts are partially within the area of the plate, and additional porous plates surrounding. said plate and eachsupported likewise by exactly threeandjnomore'b01ts,fthe: bolts at thecorners pf said plate each-cooperating.toj assist in thesu pport of templates an'dthe. bolt.at ..sai1d oppQsite side ofsaid plate cooperat- ..i.nstoassist. in. thes ppcrt oftw p .5. In apparatus of the class jdescribed,.;a porous plate of granular. refractory material bonded "with a ,bond resistant to water, acid and alkali,

.-int o.a strong .but porous plate which is substanvtially rectangular invshape, exactly three and;no

more .bolts perpendicular .to .the plate, nuts .on 0 the upper end of .the. bolts, resilient washers ,on

.eachzsideof theplateon eachbolt, the nuts, being outside of the washers-andforcing:themintoen- .gageinent with the plate, two bolt being located :at corners 10f :the aplatezand 'the rthirdzbolt ibeing .75 :located rat ithe. SiderQPpQSil'ze11311161251618 connecting said corners, the plate being cut away at said corners and said side opposite said corners whereby the bolts are partially within the area of the plate, and additional porous plates surrounding said plate and each supported likewise by exactly three and no more bolts, the bolts at the corners of said plate each cooperating to assist in the support of four plates and the bolt at said opposite side of said plate cooperating to assist in the support of two plates.

THOMAS R. CAMP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Denison Apr. 30, 1889 Ziegler Mar. 1, 1898 Bradley Oct. 28, 1913 Herzbruch June 8, 1915 Beckley Sept. 3, 1918 Hungerford July 5, 1927 Jenks May 19, 1931 I-I-autz Dec. 19, 1933 Camp June 9, 1936 Nagel -1 July 11, 1939 

